Malaysia's Education System Not Supportive Of Science - Scientist

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 12 (Bernama) -- While science and technology are critical to produce creative thinkers to attain the country's goal of becoming a developed nation by 2020, the education system is not supportive.

Newly-conferred Professor Emeritus Datuk Mohamed Abdul Majid noted that Malaysia still lagged behind developed countries in science and technology.

As a result, he said, the education and higher education ministries should study the school curriculum to raise the quality of education.

"In science, we are below the world average, meaning that we are, in no way, catching up with the advanced countries.

"We have to develop, if we are indeed to become a fully-developed nation by 2020," he told Bernama in an interview.

The 61-year-old scientist and educator for the past 35 years was conferred Professor Emeritus by Universiti Malaya yesterday.

"At the moment, our education system is not supporting the development of science and technology".

"When you are talking about science and technology, you are talking about people who can think, people who have intellectual power, logical thinking, critical thinking and creativity," said Mohamed, who is now attached to the Science Faculty of Brunei Darussalam University.

He said students must have the courage and freedom to acquire more knowledge and not just rely on local textbooks.

"We have got workbooks where you have to answer exactly, the answer that is given by the teacher on the book," he said, adding that the school curriculum must allow students to think and express themselves.

"This is what is happening in many other countries like Singapore, United States, South Korea, which allow the students to have freedom of expression, so there is a lot of creativity among the students (there)," said Mohamed.

He also suggested that teachers be well paid so that they could give the best to their students.

"We want teachers who are very well-qualified, only then can we expect to get very good students".

"I am suggesting that they have better salary scale, promotion prospects and better status," he said.

Education minister wants 1 Malaysia camp for students

Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin plans to introduce an annual 1 Malaysia camp for students to instil a sense of unity in them.

The deputy prime minister and education minister said 1 Malaysia was one of his four key performance indicators (KPI) for the Education Ministry.

“In this camp, I hope that the eight values of 1 Malaysia will be learned and planted in all the participants and therefore help push the concept of 1 Malaysia and the national education philosophy,” he told the audience at a workshop on the Education Development Master Plan (PIPP).

Muhyiddin also stressed the importance of producing quality teachers and school heads.

“A policy to place teachers who are responsive to the needs of society is a priority. School heads must also be people who are smart in interpreting, understanding the tasks given, committed and able to increase their knowledge so they can translate the education policy to daily tasks and be able to give the best education to their students,” he said.

Muhyiddin wants the education system to continue producing knowledgeable human capital who are productive, creative and innovative.

“Priority must be given to efforts to produce students who are proficient in both Malay and English language. Therefore, PIPP must realise that education is the key to achieving a Malaysian society that has integrity, morality and ethics,” he said.

He explained that it was important for the government to continue providing the necessary infrastructure because there are still remote schools which did not have electricity and clean water.

Muhyiddin said the education system must be able to produce quality students who are capable of mastering the three Qs — intellectual quotient, emotional quotient and spiritual quotient.

“This has to be the minimum requirement which is in line with the spirit of the national education philosophy,” he said.

Reform Education System to Foster Unity among Young Malaysians

HOPE TO SEE MULTIRACIAL STUDENTS SIT TOGETHER IN ONE SCHOOL

We Malaysian are predominantly divided by politics and education. Although there are a lot of factors we can assume as threat to our unity, but in my opinion education and politics are the most influential aspect. Before this, I have written before about politics, but this time I’m going to elaborate how education divided us and how education can bond the Malaysian as one again.

Let me start from primary education, the role of vernacular schools are undeniable, however the schools are not relevant for current and future Malaysia. As we know the gaps between races are far more worrying. We must bring one system which only with national schools. Vernacular schools abolished and the Tamil and Mandarin must made compulsory. This will make our education system become competent.

All races combined in National schools striving towards one direction and vision. Schools students won’t think about the difference of race when they still in the primary school when they mix together in one surrounding as BANGSA MALAYSIA. So the style will continue to secondary schools, Universities and so in their life. Now what’s happening in school? The majority of the students from vernacular schools continue their relation only with their friends that they have from primary schools. And even the new buddy they approach also among same race. Similar things happen in universities and even in working environments.

UNITY CAN BE ACHIEVED THROUGH REFORMATION OF THE EDUCATION SYSTEM

Since independent, we are witnessing, there are a lot of NGOs, individual and nevertheless party politics are claiming that they are championing the vernacular schools. In our nation, a lot of struggles to develop these vernacular schools and some politician even politicking this issue for their personal benefit. They have forgotten that it’s their responsibility to upgrade the schools. I think we don’t need such politicians to defend our schools, they fooling the people and the people also being cheated again and again in many occasions.

Rather than struggling for nothing and finally we lost everything. We must ready to change and to be changed. Please be brave enough to make some reformation in our nation. If we carry on with the same school system, we not only lost national unity but also our Tamil language and Tamil schools. Lets we do some calculation. Currently, Tamil school students in Malaysia is more than 110 000, the number of schools is 523. In 10 years time the number of students will increase tremendously may be around 150 000. Just calculate in 20 years time, we will have around 200 000 pupils with only 523 schools.

Tamil school’s condition not allows such number of students. Even now also we are facing massive problems such as lack of classrooms, basic amenities and some schools even no roof to protect the students from sun and rain. Although these upsetting situations continue to pressure Tamil schools from continuously in defending Tamil, but it doesn’t work effectively. Most of the parents want their children to study in conducive environments.

And even some of the parents couldn’t send their children since the nearest Tamil school packed with students and closed for registration. Following the national school doesn’t mean minorities in Malaysia has given up their effort. Malaysian Indians right not under threat if we tolerate in this matter, in the other hand equal rights of receiving educational facilities guaranteed. And the most significant thing is unity and relationship among our new generation improved definitely. We educated to be liberal minded since no prejudice among all group of people. We learn a lot regarding others culture and have better understanding between each other.

Some Tamil and Mandarin pundits worrying that growth of the languages under risk if vernacular schools removed, I believe with the one National schools system, Tamil and Mandarin will grow much more promisingly. As we know there are moral classes for non-Muslim students during religious class for Malays. The moral should be replaced with Tamil and Mandarin language subjects. In the other point of view, the Tamil learning students motivated to learn Tamil when Chinese students learning Mandarin by giving full commitment. Tamil learning students definitely will take their initiative too to emulate the Chinese after witnessing their spirit to learn the language.

Back to the relationship within the ethnic, role of education is really important. So lets we together give up own agenda and change our mindset to emphasis on National agenda. There are always solutions behind each problem. Don’t use the same approach to solve the same problem again and again, it won’t works. As the result, finally we get nothing for our struggle, try to accept the fact that we need to strive together upon national agenda to get equal rights and opportunity. Please brave enough to change or to be changed!

I hope no street demonstrations, no other ISA arrests, no tears, no hurts, no politics, no discrimination, and no marginalization, nothing after this. Please think smart, think for our future Malaysia, unity we can achieve through the reform of education system.